Old Sacramento, the historic waterfront district and National Historic Landmark, offers up a fun adventure for families and history nerds alike. We learned so much about California history and the trans-continental railroad's impact on the culture and economy of the Golden State at the California State Railroad Museum. All aboard!
In this first of two posts set in Sacramento, we take a walking tour through the city. Highlights include the Capitol building and the historic Tower Bridge. There is much to see in California's state capital.
Just north of Lone Pine, along U.S. 395, in the unforgiving rain shadow desert of the Eastern Sierras, sits Manzanar National Historic Site. From 1942 through the end of World War II in 1945, Manzanar served as an internment camp for people of Japanese descent, forcibly removed from their homes along the West Coast. Today, the site is preserved as a reminder of this painful part of American history and the hope and perseverance of those who endured.
The Rijksmuseum is a world-famous national museum devoted to the art and culture of the Netherlands. Over 8000 objects are on display in the museum, with more than 2000 paintings from the Dutch Golden Age, with works from famed Dutch masters such as Johannes Vermeer, Rembrandt van Rijn, and Jan Steen. On our full day in Amsterdam, we headed to the Rijksmuseum to get some culture and appreciate Dutch art and history.
On a cloudy Tuesday near the sea, with seagulls squawking overhead, we headed to the National Monument Oranjehotel, Scheveningen's prison. About 25000 people were detained here during the Nazi occupation of the Netherlands. In this museum, the cells and artifacts tell stories of despair and pain, hope and perseverance. Trigger warning: This article discusses World War II history, which includes mentions of death, torture, and violence. I also discuss Hitler’s rise to power and the formation of a one-party state through legal means.
The Cranky Camper 